a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for processing a substrate and, more particularly, to a substrate processing method and apparatus suitable for processing a substrate having striped ridge patterns on the surface thereof.
b) Description of the Related Art
When the surface of a large substrate having a side length of 300 mm or longer, such as a liquid crystal panel and a plasma display panel (PDP), is wet processed, the substrate is generally transported in one direction during which liquid chemicals are supplied on the substrate surface. Also during a dry process, the substrate is transported in one direction during which gas is blown from an air knife to dry the substrate surface.
The direction of a gas flow jetted out of the air knife is maintained fixed. For example, a vector obtained by vertically projecting the direction of a gas flow upon the substrate surface is slightly slanted from a direction parallel to the transport direction of the substrate. With such a layout, liquid chemicals can be efficiently blown to dry the substrate surface, if the substrate surface has striped ridge patterns parallel to the transport direction.
However, if the substrate surface has striped ridge patterns perpendicular to the transport direction, raised portions of the ridge patterns hinder liquid chemicals from being efficiently blown so that it becomes difficult to dry the substrate surface. Liquid chemicals may be left on the ridge patterns where gas is not directly blown. If the left liquid chemicals dry thereafter, impurities in the chemicals adhere to the substrate surface and may cause defectiveness.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus of processing a substrate, capable of efficiently processing the substrate independently from how striped ridge patterns are formed on the substrate surface.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing method comprising the steps of: (a) transporting a substrate along a transport path, the substrate having striped ridge patterns formed on the surface thereof; (b) determining a relationship between the direction of the striped ridge patterns formed on the surface of the substrate and the direction of jetting out and blowing fluid to the substrate; and (c) jetting out the fluid to the surface of the substrate along the direction satisfying the relationship determined at the step (b) and processing the surface of the substrate.
Since the direction of jetting out fluid is determined in accordance with the direction of striped ridge patterns, fluid can be blown to the substrate surface in a direction suitable for this substrate. It is therefore possible to reliably perform a substrate surface process.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a transport path for transporting a substrate to be processed; first and second jetting units having different directions of jetting out fluid from each other, the first and second jetting units processing the surface of the substrate being transported along the transport path by jetting out the fluid to the surface of the substrate; and control unit for selecting one of the first and second jetting units in accordance with the direction of striped ridge patterns formed on the surface of the substrate being transported along the transport path, and for jetting out the fluid from the selected jetting unit.
Since jetting unit suitable for particular striped ridge patterns can be selected, fluid can be blown to the substrate surface in a direction suitable for this substrate.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a transport path for transporting a substrate to be processed; jetting unit capable of changing the direction of jetting out fluid, the jetting unit processing the surface of the substrate by blowing the fluid to the surface of the substrate being transported along the transport path; and control unit for changing the jetting direction of the jetting unit in accordance with the direction of striped ridge patterns formed on the surface of the substrate being transported along the transport path.
Since fluid can be blown to the substrate surface in a direction suitable for the direction of striped ridge patterns, a proper surface process can be performed for each substrate.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a first transport path for transporting a substrate to be processed; a second transport path connected to the first transport path; substrate rotating means mounted at a connection point between the first transport path and the second transport path, the substrate rotating means being capable of receiving the substrate transported from the first transport path, rotating the substrate in a substrate plane, and sending the substrate to the second transport path; and jetting unit for jetting out fluid to the surface of the substrate being transported along the second transport path and processing the surface of the substrate.
It is possible to blow fluid in a direction suitable for each substrate by changing the direction of the substrate.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising: an inflow transport path for transporting a substrate to be processed; first and second outflow transport paths connected to the first inflow transport path; branching means mounted at a connection point between the inflow transport path and the first and second outflow transport paths, the branching means receiving the substrate transported from the inflow transport path and sending the substrate to one of the first and second outflow transport paths; and first and second jetting units for jetting out fluid to the surface of the substrate being transported respectively along the first and second outflow transport paths and processing the surface of the substrate.
The outflow transport path suitable for the direction of striped ridge patterns on the substrate surface is selected so that it is possible to blow fluid to the substrate surface in a direction suitable for this substrate at each outflow transport path.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing method comprising the steps of: (a) transporting a substrate along a transport path, the substrate having striped ridge patterns formed on the surface thereof; (b) determining the direction of scanning the surface of the substrate, in accordance with the direction of the striped ridge patterns formed on the surface of the substrate; and (c) changing the direction of jetting out fluid while the fluid is blown to the surface of the substrate, so that a flow of the fluid scans the surface of the substrate in the scanning direction determined by the step (b).
The surface of a substrate can be scanned with a flow of fluid in a direction suitable for this substrate. It is therefore possible to perform a proper surface process.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a transport path for transporting a substrate to be processed; first jetting unit for jetting out fluid to the surface of the substrate being transported along the transport path, the first jetting unit being capable of making a flow of the fluid jetted out of the first jetting unit scan the surface of the substrate in a first direction; and second jetting unit for jetting out fluid to the surface of the substrate being transported along the transport path, the second jetting unit being capable of making a flow of the fluid jetted out of the second jetting unit scan the surface of the substrate in a second direction different from the first direction.
The surface of a substrate can be scanned with a flow of fluid in a direction suitable for this substrate. It is therefore possible to perform a proper surface process.
As above, it is possible to blow fluid in a direction suitable for particular striped ridge patterns on the substrate surface. The substrate surface can therefore be processed efficiently.